Successful reaccreditation: New structures and more internationalization in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering and Logistics

In the Bachelor's degree program, the introductory phase in particular has been revised. New ungraded introductory modules are intended to ease the transition into the degree course, and free attempts have been introduced for newly enrolled students in the first two semesters. The course structure has also been adapted: The project work has been moved from the seventh semester, the specialist internship will in future comprise 14 credit points while still lasting twelve weeks, and the Bachelor's thesis will in future be assessed with 15 credit points.

There have also been changes to the practical prerequisites: In mechanical engineering and industrial engineering, the basic internship has been shortened from eight to six weeks; in the Bachelor's degree course in logistics, it will no longer be required at all in future. At the same time, the compulsory area in computer science has been increased to 20 credit points in the logistics degree course in order to take account of the increasing importance of digitalization and data-driven applications in logistics. The Industrial Engineering and Management degree course will also be supplemented by the Circular Value Chain Management profile in future. Furthermore, the English-language profiles "Computational Mechanics" and "Data-driven Engineering" will be implemented in the Mechanical Engineering degree program.

The structure of the practical specialization in the Master's degree course has been adapted: Instead of two specialist laboratories, each worth three credit points, there will be one specialist laboratory worth five credit points in future. In addition, an area of "extracurricular skills" with five credit points has been upgraded.

Another focus is on internationalization. For this purpose, two-semester mobility windows without compulsory courses have been set up, which can be used specifically for stays abroad. In addition, new container modules make it easier to have credits earned abroad recognized without the need for a directly equivalent module at TU Dortmund University.

The content of future study programs will be based on the department's new mission statement of zero footprint engineering. Sustainability aspects will be given greater consideration in the modules, while topics relating to digitalization and artificial intelligence have been specifically anchored in the curricula.